


Little Prince of Camelot

by coockie8



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Awkwardness, Child Abuse, M/M, Magic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Protectiveness, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-15 23:34:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29941092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coockie8/pseuds/coockie8
Summary: After getting separated from Merlin by bandits, their leader curses Arthur with a fate worse than death. At least, that's howArthurfeels about it, anyway.
Relationships: Arthur Pendragon/Uther Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Uther Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 50





	1. Knocked Down a Peg

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea how to tag this. Though there may be chapters that get a bit heavy, I will 100% put a warning at the start of any chapters that could be potentially triggering in any way.

Merlin wandered through the woods, searching for Arthur. They'd been separated by a group of bandits about an hour ago, and Merlin couldn't find a single trace of his Prince. He was starting to get worried. He'd dealt with the bandits who'd followed after him easily enough since Arthur hadn't been there, allowing Merlin to freely use his magic, but the majority of them, including their leader, had gone after Arthur.

Merlin was less than a hair's width from having a complete meltdown when he heard the clashing of swords in the distance. He broke into a sprint in the direction the sounds were coming from, hoping beyond hope that it was Arthur he was running towards, and not just more bandits.

He came to a sliding halt just as Arthur ran through the last bandit, leaving only their leader to deal with

"Sire!" He called.

Arthur quickly perked up and turned towards Merlin, a relieved smile on his lips

"Merlin!" He exclaimed "You're-"

He didn't get the chance to finish before the bandit leader, a woman who didn't look like she could fight off one bandit, let alone  _ lead _ an entire group, chanted an incantation and fired some sort of spell at Arthur, her magic hitting him square in the back.

Merlin paled and bolted towards Arthur as he seemingly vanished, his clothes and armour crumpling in a pile where he'd been standing.

The bandit leader snickered menacingly

"There. That's bound to keep you out of my hair," She cooed while flipping an auburn lock out of her face before taking off back into the woods.

Merlin pushed himself to his feet with the intent to go after her.

"Merlin?" A tiny, muffled voice squeaked.

Merlin looked around in confusion, the voice had sounded like Arthur, but… Different.

"Sire?" He questioned, looking around in search of his Prince.

He yelped and jumped away when Arthur's clothes pile started to move. Merlin swallowed nervously and poked at it with his foot, flinching away when a head popped out, taking a deep breath. He stiffened and just blinked in disbelief at what he saw

"Arthur?" He sputtered.

Arthur, who could be no more than three years old, looked up at Merlin pleadingly

"Heavy," He whimpered.

Merlin quickly scrambled to remove the heavy chainmail and armour from his tiny Prince, all the while forcing himself  _ not  _ to burst out laughing. This was  _ bad _ , he really shouldn't laugh, but… Arthur was practically a  _ toddler _ , how could Merlin  _ not _ laugh!?

Arthur took a deep breath once he was down to just his tunic and slumped

"Thank you…" He mumbled, reaching up to pull his shirt back up his shoulder, where it had started to slip.

It didn't fit. Nothing fit, but the tunic stayed on, for the most part, and kept Arthur covered, so it would have to do. Merlin ran a hand through his hair and looked around. Now what? He couldn't carry Arthur's chainmail, armour, sword, boots, trousers, and  _ Arthur _ .

"Can you walk?" He asked.

Arthur pushed himself up on tiny legs and wobbled a bit, looking down at himself. He quickly looked up at Merlin

"Fix me!" He ordered fiercely, though it wasn't very intimidating seeing as he only came up to just under Merlin's hip.

"And how do you propose I do that, my  _ Lord _ ?" Merlin drawled "We need to get you back to Gaius, and I can't carry everything plus  _ you _ , so can you or can you not walk on your own?"

Arthur averted his gaze and blushed deeply, an adorable little pout on his adorable little face

"...I'm a child… Not a cripple," He grumbled.

Merlin smiled fondly before gathering up Arthur's belongings

"Good. Come on then," He urged "Watch where you step, don't forget your feet are bare."

He flinched a bit when a tiny hand reached up and hooked onto the hem of his coat. He glanced down at Arthur and sighed softly in defeat at his pleading expression. He crouched down

"Get on my back and hold on," He huffed.

He let a smile slip as Arthur scrambled up onto him and wrapped his tiny arms around his neck. Merlin straightened and adjusted the things in his arms

"Remember to hold on tight, my hands are full so I can't hold you," He reminded "So keep in mind if you slip and fall, that's your own fault."

Arthur didn't respond past burying his face in the back of Merlin's neck, sniffling softly. Merlin didn't draw attention to it.

The horses had taken off when the bandits attacked, so there was no way they'd make it back to Camelot before nightfall. Merlin had come across a cave and set up camp inside after making sure it wasn't occupied by bandits… Or wolves.

He'd wrapped his coat around Arthur after getting the fire going to offer him a bit more protection than a single too-big tunic. Arthur was curled up with his knees to his chest, chin resting on them as he just glared into the fire.

"Gaius will know what to do, I'm sure," Merlin attempted to soothe.

Arthur just turned his glare on Merlin, narrowing his eyes further as he did. Merlin winced and averted his gaze. How Arthur managed such a venomous look with chubby baby cheeks, Merlin would never know.

He pushed himself to his feet and turned towards the mouth of the cave, only to be stopped from leaving by a tiny body clinging to his leg

"Where are you going!?" Arthur panicked, looking up at Merlin with fear.

Merlin was sure he'd never seen that look on Arthur before

"It's okay," He assured, kneeling down to be eye level "I'm not going far."

Arthur darted his gaze around nervously

"Don't leave me," He pleaded.

Merlin sighed softly and ruffled Arthur's hair

"I won't be long," He promised "Just hide until I get back."

With that, he reluctantly left the cave. He just needed to collect some more firewood. He knew why Arthur was acting this way. It was obvious, he was three. Even with all his training and experience, no three year old could actually defend themselves. Even if Merlin gave him his sword, it wasn't like he'd be able to even lift it, let alone swing it around, or stab someone with it. More than ever, Arthur was completely, and totally reliant on Merlin for protection. And it didn't feel good.

He was quick about gathering the wood, and even quicker about getting back to camp. Arthur was nowhere to be seen when Merlin returned and he immediately tossed the wood aside, looking around frantically

"Arthur!?" He panicked.

"I'm here," That tiny voice assured as a little blond head poked up from behind a rock.

Merlin slumped and let out a sigh of relief, putting a hand over his chest

"You nearly killed me," He scolded softly.

Arthur quickly approached and clung to his leg

"You told me to hide," He huffed.

Merlin fondly pet Arthur's hair

"Fair enough," He hummed "You still scared me. But I guess that only means you hid well. Good job."

Arthur stiffened before peeking up at Merlin, eyes sparkling like he put all the stars in the sky. Merlin blushed deeply and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, he was certain no one had ever looked at him that way before.

"I did good?" Arthur chirped, batting his eyes cutely.

Merlin cleared his throat and nodded

"Yeah."

Arthur tightened his grip around Merlin's leg and shoved his face into his thigh, muffling his little giggles. Merlin pet his hair again before leading him closer to the fire

"You should get some sleep," He urged "You must be exhausted."

Merlin sat down in front of the fire, stiffening when Arthur crawled into his lap and curled up with the intent to go to sleep. He blinked in confusion before slowly relaxing and wrapping his arms around Arthur.  _ This  _ wasn’t exactly what he’d had in mind when he suggested Arthur get some sleep, but Merlin wasn’t opposed to it. This way, Arthur was as close as he could get, making it much easier to keep an eye on him.

“...Father is going to be furious…” Arthur whimpered softly, cuddling closer to Merlin, who frowned in concern at that statement.

It wasn’t  _ Arthur’s  _ fault he was like this… Merlin tightened his grip a bit in comfort

“No he won’t,” He soothed “This isn’t your fault, and we’ll find a way to fix you. I promise.”

Arthur peeked up at him and blushed

“Thank you…”

Merlin eagerly nuzzled Arthur’s hair before leaning back against the cave wall

“Get some sleep. We have a long day of walking in the morning.”


	2. Worth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin and Arthur arrive back at Camelot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad a lot of you also would've liked to see little Arthur in the show lol
> 
> Hope you like the chapter.

By the time Merlin finally managed to lug them back to Camelot, he was about ready to collapse. Each individual thing, including Arthur, on its own wasn’t that heavy, but all together the weight was starting to take its toll. Once actually in the city, Merlin had to let Arthur off his back

“Sorry,” He panted “But I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

Arthur shifted from one foot to another as he stared up at Merlin

“Am I too heavy?” He mumbled.

Merlin laughed breathlessly 

“No… Not alone,” He assured as he continued walking.

Arthur quickly followed after him, hooking onto his shirt so he wouldn’t fall behind. People were staring, and Arthur felt insecure. 

Merlin hurried into the castle and fell to his knees with a defeated groan, dropping the stuff he was holding. Arthur just stood next to him, staring

“Are you alright?” He worried.

Merlin nodded sluggishly as he rubbed his sore arms, smiling sheepishly at the other servants who approached to clean up his mess

“I’m fine,” He assured “Just… Sore.”

Arthur clung to his arm and chewed his lower lip

“Take me to my chambers,” He ordered softly, reaching over to tug his tunic back up his shoulder.

Merlin took a deep breath before standing, scooping Arthur up in his arms as he did

“Yes, Sire,” He hummed.

He made his way up to Arthur’s chambers, said Prince curled in his arms with his adorable little face buried in the crook of Merlin’s neck. The sun would set soon. It had taken them so long to get back to Camelot. He pushed the door open and dumped Arthur on his bed before leaning against the post

“Uh… I’ll probably be late tomorrow,” He admitted.

Arthur bounced where he sat a bit, peeking up at Merlin

“That’s fine,” He assured “You must be tired after today…”

Merlin pursed his lips together and looked over at Arthur

“I’m guessing you don’t exactly have anything that will fit you now?” He asked.

Arthur lowered his gaze and blushed deeply, shaking his head. Merlin was sure he felt exposed.

“I’ll find you something,” He stated while pushing himself off the bedpost and towards the door “Stay here while I do that, and inform Gaius of what happened.”

“Don’t be gone too long!” Arthur pleaded as Merlin left the room.

Merlin made his way down to the physician’s chambers, looking longingly at his room as he entered. Gaius looked up from some potion he was brewing and sighed in relief

“Merlin,” He huffed “There you are.”

Merlin swallowed thickly

“You wouldn’t happen to have any clothes that would fit a three year old, would you?” He asked.

Gaius cocked an eyebrow

“No… Why?” He asked.

Merlin sat down and ran a hand through his hair

“A bandit with magic turned Arthur into a three year old,” He explained flatly.

Gaius’ eyes widened and he approached Merlin

“...Has the King been informed?” He asked after giving himself a moment to process.

Merlin shook his head

“Not yet… I don’t think Arthur wants him to know,” He admitted.

Gaius pursed his lips together and sat next to Merlin

“He’s bound to notice,” He reminded.

Merlin buried his face in his hands and groaned in frustration

“I know, but Arthur seems so nervous about it…” He lifted his head a bit in thought “Then again, he seems nervous about a  _ lot  _ right now.”

“Well, he  _ has  _ gone from being Camelot’s greatest warrior, to a completely defenseless child.”

Merlin sighed heavily and nodded

“I know,” He muttered “It’s still strange to see him so… Meek.”

Gaius stood with a soft groan

“Well, I'll get started on finding a way to reverse this spell, while you go find the Prince some suitable clothes,” He suggested while making his way over to a shelf of books.

Merlin stood and nodded

“Sure, let me know if you find anything,” He chirped before heading out.

Merlin made his way straight to Morgana’s chambers in the hopes of finding Gwen. Maybe she could help him. He took a breath and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Morgana

“Can I help you, Merlin?” She hummed fondly.

Merlin grinned uneasily

“Is Gwen here?” He asked.

Morgana shook her head

“Not right now, but I’m sure she’s around. Is there anything I can help you with?”

Merlin lowered his gaze in thought

“Maybe… I need some clothes that would fit a three year old boy… You wouldn’t happen to know where I could find that, would you?”

Morgana raised an eyebrow

“Well, some of Arthur’s clothes from his youth were kept in storage,” She stated “I could have Gwen bring some to you, if you’d like?”

Merlin’s eyes widened and he grinned

“That’s perfect! Thank you!” He beamed “Have Gwen deliver them to Arthur’s chambers?”

Morgana nodded before waving bye as he took off.

Merlin made his way back to Arthur’s chambers and entered the room

“Morgana is sending up some of your old clothes,” He informed as he entered, halting in his steps “...Arthur?”

His little Prince was nowhere to be seen. He looked around the room in confusion, nowhere near as panicked as when he came back to the seemingly empty cave.

“Arthur!?” He called.

There was some rustling from behind the screen

“I’m here,” Arthur huffed.

Merlin sighed softly in relief before heading behind the screen

“You’ve got to stop disappearing on me like that,” He chuckled fondly “It’ll be the death of me.”

Arthur was standing in front of his mirror, just staring at himself

“I’m tiny…” He mumbled dejectedly “What use am I like this?”

That question was like a hot knife to Merlin’s heart and he frowned

“Don’t say that, my Lord,” He sighed, crouching down next to Arthur and pulling him close “You’re still the Crown Prince, and this won’t be permanent. Gaius is looking for a cure.”

Arthur turned and wrapped his arms around Merlin’s neck, hiding his face in his shoulder

“But until then I’m worthless…”

Merlin tightened his grip a bit on Arthur, cramming down the urge to murder whoever had made Arthur feel this way. Like he had no value if he couldn’t perform his duties. Granted, Merlin was fairly certain it had been Uther, and his less than stellar parenting methods that had so deeply damaged Arthur’s sense of self-worth.

“You’re not worthless, Arthur,” Merlin huffed firmly, giving him a fond squeeze.

Arthur pulled away and glared at Merlin

"Oh yeah? Name one use I have like this!" He snapped, stomping out from behind the screen.

Merlin followed after him

"You're a  _ person _ , my Lord, you don't need to have a  _ use _ ," He stated firmly.

Arthur approached his bed and crawled up onto it, Merlin having to help him a bit due to the height

"My father doesn't see it that way," He mumbled.

Merlin sat down next to him and ran a hand through his hair

"You were a child once, right? He loved you then, why would this time be any different?"

Arthur chewed his lower lip

"Because I'm  _ not _ a child anymore," He grumbled "There are expectations of me… Expectations I  _ can't  _ meet when I'm barely three feet tall and can't even lift a sword!"

Merlin winced and averted his gaze

"Still, it's not like this is  _ your  _ fault," He reminded "Everything will be fine. Gaius will find a way to fix you, and in the meantime I'll look after you. Like I always do."

Arthur relaxed a bit, a little smile slipping. Merlin ruffled his hair fondly

"It's not like it'll be all that different. I dress you, clean up after you, feed you, and help you bathe anyway," He teased playfully "To me, you've  _ always  _ been a child."

"Hey!" Arthur snapped, punching Merlin in the arm.

It was far less effective than normal, but Merlin winced and rubbed the spot anyway in an attempt to soothe Arthur's already damaged ego. It proved effective, if Arthur's beaming grin was anything to go by.

It was short lived though. The door slammed open, causing them both to flinch. Merlin looked over his shoulder and paled at the sight of the King. He looked  _ furious _ .

"Arthur!" He roared.

Arthur scrambled off the bed and crouched down next to it, clinging to Merlin's leg in obvious fear. That set alarm bells off in Merlin's head. He'd never seen Arthur  _ cower _ from Uther like that. Then again, Merlin had only seen Arthur in his twenties interacting with Uther, so the dynamic was very different.  _ Now _ , Uther was twice Arthur's size and could probably snap him like a twig.

"What happened!?" Uther snapped as he approached. 

Arthur tried to hide more behind Merlin's leg, reluctantly peeking up at his father

"A witch-bandit cursed me…" He admitted softly "I'm sorry…"

Merlin took a deep breath to stop himself from scolding Arthur for apologizing. He turned his attention to Uther

"I informed Gaius, he's looking for a way to reverse the spell, my Lord," He assured.

Uther just shot him a venomous glare and Merlin immediately snapped his mouth shut, nervously averting his gaze. Alright, a 'speak only when spoken to' situation. Noted. The King put his hands on his hips and approached the window, sighing heavily in frustration

"And what am I supposed to do in the meantime?" He spat "I cannot rule Camelot alone! How could you let this happen!?"

Arthur shrunk away and whimpered

"I'm sorry, father…" He mumbled dejectedly.

Merlin tightly gripped the sheets and bit his tongue. He figured Uther would be upset about this, which was fair, but he didn't understand why he felt the need to take it out on Arthur. The witch-bandit was to blame, not Arthur. And besides, it wasn’t like Arthur had  _ let  _ it happen.

“Is that all you have to say? ‘Sorry’!?” Uther scoffed.

Arthur peeked up at Merlin with pleading eyes before turning his gaze back to his father

“I… I don’t know what  _ else  _ you want me to say…” He huffed.

Uther turned a dangerous glare on Arthur

“How  _ dare  _ you use that tone with me!” He snarled.

Arthur clung tighter to Merlin’s leg and lowered his gaze, mumbling a soft apology. Merlin took a nervous breath

“Sire, please, this isn’t Arthur’s fault,” He muttered, lowering a hand to soothingly pet Arthur’s hair.

Uther approached and backhanded Merlin before he even had the chance to process what was happening

“Silence! You will speak only when spoken to,” He growled.

Merlin’s hand shot up to cover his mouth. It had been hard, and had split his lip pretty badly. Arthur paled and shifted under the bed a bit

“Please don’t,” He pleaded.

Uther let out a frustrated shout before storming out of the room. Merlin kept his hand over his mouth to catch the blood dripping from his lip. Arthur sniffled and stayed clinging to Merlin’s leg

“I’m sorry he hit you,” He mumbled “Are you alright?”

Merlin nodded, still refusing to lower his hand

“Yes, I’m fine,” He assured “Don’t worry, I can take a hit.”

He finally pulled his hand away, cringing when blood almost immediately trickled down and dripped off his chin. He took off his neckerchief and held it to the wound, wincing at the pain. Arthur slowly shifted out from behind Merlin’s leg and crawled up onto the bed, eyes widening in horror

“Are you bleeding!?” He sputtered.

Merlin lowered his neckerchief and gave Arthur a sheepish smile, flinching when all it did was cause pain and more blood

“It’s not that bad,” He soothed.

Arthur grabbed the cloth from Merlin’s hand and quickly pressed it back to the wound, practically crawling into Merlin’s lap to do so. Merlin instinctively grabbed onto Arthur’s hips to stabilize him

“Careful,” He cooed.

Arthur gently dabbed the blood away

“I told you he’d be upset…” He sighed softly.

Merlin wrapped his arms around Arthur and gave him a fond squeeze

“Apparently you know your father better than I do… Who knew?” He chuckled sheepishly, trying to lighten the mood.

Arthur just cocked an eyebrow and shook his head

“You need to learn to hold your tongue,” He huffed “ _ I  _ may let you speak however you wish, but my father isn’t like that.”

Merlin lowered his gaze a bit

“I know… I’m respectful with Uther, but I just… I couldn’t just sit there and watch him berate you like that,” He sighed “Especially when you haven’t done anything wrong.”

Arthur’s tunic slid down his tiny shoulder again, and Merlin reached up to adjust it

“I hope Gwen will be here with your clothes soon,” He commented.

Arthur blushed deeply and his eyes widened

“W-What?” He sputtered “No! I don’t want Guinevere to see me like this!”

Merlin cocked an eyebrow in amusement

“Relax, Arthur,” He soothed “She loves you, and look how adorable you are!”

He hadn’t meant for that last part to slip out and he winced. Arthur lowered his gaze a bit and blushed, but didn’t remark. A knock on the door caused Arthur to scramble away and hide under the bed. Merlin held his neckerchief to his lip and chuckled before standing to answer the door.

“Hello, Merlin,” Gwen greeted before holding up the clothes he’d requested “I brought these for you, though I can’t even begin to imagine why you would need children’s clothing.”

Merlin beckoned for her to enter

“My reason is hiding from you under the bed,” He explained bluntly.

“Merlin!” Arthur scolded, but didn’t actually make an appearance.

Gwen frowned and looked around in confusion as she set the clothes down on the bed

“Who-”

“It was Arthur,” Merlin cut in as he lowered his neckerchief.

Gwen’s eyes widened and she quickly snatched it, pressing it back to his lip when he started bleeding again

“What happened!?” She worried.

Merlin shrugged

“Uther,” He drawled “I spoke out of turn.”

Gwen huffed in frustration and shook her head

“That man really thinks he can just do whatever he wants…” She grumbled.

Merlin lowered his gaze

“Well, he  _ can _ . He  _ is  _ the King, after all,” He muttered.

Arthur peeked out from under the bed, up at Gwen, as she continued to dab the blood away from Merlin’s lip

“A  _ good  _ King does not strike his subjects for speaking up,” She scoffed.

Merlin snorted a little laugh

“For what it’s worth, I don’t think Uther counts as a  _ good  _ King,” He admitted.

“Careful,” Arthur spoke up as he reluctantly came out from under the bed and clung to Merlin’s leg “That could be considered treason.”

Gwen halted and lowered her gaze, eyes wide as she stared down at Arthur

“My… Lord?” She questioned.

Arthur blushed deeply and refused to look at her, reaching up to pull his tunic back up his shoulder, where it kept slipping. Merlin scooped up his clothes

“He got cursed,” He explained.

Gwen let out a soft breath in disbelief as Merlin led Arthur behind the screen. Arthur kept his gaze on the floor as Merlin dressed him

“You saw how she looked at me…” He mumbled.

Merlin gave him a reassuring smile

“She’s just shocked,” He assured.

“Do you have any plans to change him back?” Gwen asked from the other side of the screen.

Arthur flinched at how close her voice was. Merlin stepped back and looked Arthur over once he was dressed before leading him out from behind the screen

“Not yet. Gaius is looking into it,” He assured.

Gwen nodded before looking down at Arthur and smiling

“You’re so small,” She commented, a little giggle to her tone.

Arthur huffed and crossed his arms, blushing deeply and pouting. Merlin leaned down and lifted Arthur, propping him up on his hip

“Come on, I’ve got to get him to Gaius, so he can  _ see  _ what he’s dealing with,” He sighed.

Gwen nodded and followed after him, very clearly excited by tiny Arthur, who had instinctively wrapped his arms around Merlin’s neck. Merlin chuckled softly before heading out to bring Arthur to Gaius.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, Uther's a douche. I mean, canonically, the man only really shows Arthur affection when he's done something that benefits Uther in some way, or when Arthur's literally dying. Like even when Arthur summons the fuck from the dead, Uther's immediate response is to just start berating him.
> 
> Also, you know what irks me about Uther, specifically when Arthur used the horn to speak to his ghost? When he gives Arthur shit about making common men knights, but like... Uther was literally still alive when that happened. He could've de-knighted them then, or whatever. But no, man chooses to be a petty bitch.

**Author's Note:**

> There isn't really a cohesive plot to this fic, I just wanted to write about Arthur getting magically turned into a child
> 
> Which is totally a plotline I feel they could have utilized in an episode of the show, and I feel robbed lol
> 
> Please comment. Comments make me a happy writer, and happy writers write more.


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